American LDZ brings international cohort to St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Nearly 140 delegates converged on St. Mary’s College of Maryland for the 2024 edition of the American Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session from July 7 to 14.

The program, part of the National Hispanic Institute’s three-year leadership series for high-performing high school students, derives from the initial Texas LDZ program, started in 1983, that provides an immersive educational experience based around participating in elections and the legislative process. With its proximity to the nation’s capital, the American LDZ uses the presidency and the U.S. Congress, rather than the state government model of other LDZs, as its organizational compass.

And in the developing tradition of the American LDZ at the St. Mary’s City, Maryland-based college, the 2024 edition of the program once again included an actual field trip to Washington, D.C., allowing students to experience it first-hand.

Catalina Berry, education director for the program, said, “We are seeing more and more legacy participants in this program, including two Nieto grandchildren who certainly left their mark as Lt. Governor and Chief Justice.”

She added, “It was another great group that was very diverse and lent itself to real-world situations where opportunities for both Spanish and English languages to be spoken and provide growth and appreciation for our culture. This program also saw a lot of crossovers from the Northeast Great Debate, which allowed for many to continue the dialogue from previous years and events. We are so grateful for the support from St. Mary’s College and we appreciate their eagerness to continue this partnership and support the talented Latine youth.”

Deandre Clements, Regional Director of Admission for Access and Partnership at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, observed, “It’s a joy and honor for us at St. Mary’s College of Maryland to host NHI’s summer LDZ sessions. It’s amazing to see the passion of the youth in action, operating and serving as future leaders of our country! It lets me know that we are, indeed, in great hands!”

The cohort of students gathered for the 2024 American LDZ even went beyond future U.S. leaders. It was truly international, with the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panamá all represented.

Top elected officials from the program included:

• President: Felipe Rubio, John F. Kennedy The American School of Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
• Vice President: Mackenzie Sada, Hays High School, Buda, Texas
• Speaker of the House: Karwen Martinez, Muhlenberg High School, Laureldale, Pennsylvania
• Supreme Court Chief Justice: Ana Lucia Nieto, Hays High School, Buda, Texas

Martinez said, regarding the experience, “I was challenged not to just ‘think outside the box’ but to eliminate the boundary that ‘the box’ has on thinking. Critical thinking is hard, but in my experience as Speaker of the House, networking and being able to bounce ideas and points of view off of others changes the intimidating enviroment entirely. I was taught how to maintain a professional outlook even when pertaining to passion and preference.”

“But also,” he added, “the program allowed me to see the world through a different lens. I went into the program asking peers and myself why conversations had no mention of the issues in the Hispanic community. I had the thought of, ‘There’s no success without addressing the issue that needs to be bettered,’ but ultimately in those couple of days, my mind evolved and now continues to have a mindset that ‘the present assets in our community can do more good in order to leverage success on the scale against deficit.'”

Award winners for the program include:

Best Author of a Resolution (House)

Scott Tipton, Veterans Memorial Early College High School, Brownsville, Texas

Outstanding Legislator (House)

Mackias Ysaac, The Wardlaw+Hartridge School, Edison, New Jersey

Best Debater (House)

Faye Johnson, Digital Pioneers Academy, Washington, D.C.

Most Persuasive Representative

Bella Ruiz, IB Lamar (McAllen Memorial High School), McAllen, Texas

Most Distinguished Representative

Addison Alvarez, Incarnate Word High School, San Antonio, Texas

Best Author of a Resolution (Senate)

Rosa Paneda, Highland Park High School, Highland Park, Illinois

Outstanding Legislator (Senate)

Shary Flores, Colegio Científico Tecnológico Einstein, San Antonio Suchitepequez, Guatemala

Best Debater (Senate)

Sebastian Soto, Escuela Sierra Nevada Interlomas, Jesús del Monte, Mexico

Most Persuasive Senator

Isabelle Rivera, Pioneer High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Most Distinguished Senator

Terrance Rocha, The American Dream School, Bronx, New York

Best Orator

Allen Sterlin Mejia, El Colegio Circulo Infantil de Pestalozzi, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic

Most Outstanding Member of the Supreme Court

Emmanuel Gutierrez, West Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada

Top Attorney Teams

Jorge Padilla, The Edron Academy, Álvaro Obregón, Mexico, and Luna Wynter, Colegio Montessori de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá

Enrique Betancourt and Allen Sterlin Mejia, El Colegio Circulo Infantil de Pestalozzi, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic

The program was made possible in part by support from Sands and Walmart.